An Interview with Ray Fox
Ray Fox is a rising artist from Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, whose musical journey began in the spontaneous freestyle circles of East Stroudsburg University. With inspirations ranging from Drake to classic Disney soundtracks, Ray’s eclectic taste and genuine storytelling reflect his diverse upbringing and heartfelt aspirations. In this conversation, Ray shares the pivotal moments that ignited his passion for music, how he balances life’s practical demands with his creative ambitions, and his dreams of using his talents to uplift his family and community.
Hey, thanks for chatting with us. Tell us a little about yourself.
Hello, my name is Ray Fox, I’m twenty five years old and I’m from Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. Currently, the restaurant business has been my source of income. Been working in the food industry for the past four years. It pays well, but it’s for certain not what I want to do. My father works construction and my mother is a dental assistant, I also have a little brother. We moved from Mayfair to Willow Grove after my freshman year of high school. East Stroudsburg University was the college I attended, and graduated with a 3.2 GPA. However, during my sophomore year of college, Covid-19 happened, which made it very challenging for all of us. My college years were cut short, but I still took my classes online and finished school with my degree while I was working numerous different jobs on the side such as delivering pizza, valet driver and more.
Who or what inspired you to start making music? And, when did you start?
When I got to East Stroudsburg University, my freshman year was an adventure, I hung around with all sorts of people and made some lifelong friends. There would be times where we would all hang out and somebody would put on a music beat from youtube. We all went around in a circle to take turns freestyling, when it got to my turn I just led off from the next guy and rhymed my words. Everybody was impressed, they didn’t expect for me to be as good as I was. Since that experience, they continued to invite me to hangout with them, as if I were a part of their crew. But even while this was going on, I never thought about making music on my own. A good friend of mine from college named Jahlil made music at college, he would record music in people’s dorm rooms who had the home studio setup. Also, we had a classmate of ours record a music video at the local pavilion where students would sit and relax.
Then, sophomore year came around and many of my friends I would freestyle with did not return back to school. Slowly as the semester went on I started writing my own songs in my notes. Never did I take it seriously, but I thought about recording the songs once I graduate school. Then, when all the students went home for Spring Break, the school told us we could not come back due to Covid-19 spreading rapidly at that time. It was hard for me to live back at home when I missed my friends from school as well as the freedom of being on my own. While I was looking for jobs and continuing the school work online from home, the artist called Drake was getting ready to release a new project called, Dark Lane Demo Tapes. May 1st, 2020 was the day my life took a turn, when I finally realized that making music was something I was going to take seriously from now on. The song in particular, Not You Too inspired me to make music, it told me that if Drake can make music, then so can I.
What is your biggest challenge as an artist?
To get my music heard from major labels and talent managers.
What is your favorite project or single you have released?
Snippet, released on 11/25/2022.
Who are your inspirations? What artists or bands are you listening to?
Some of my favorite artists to listen to are people like Drake, Big L, Wu-Tang, Biggie, 2-Pac, Future, Kanye West, 21 Savage, Lil Durk, Lil Baby, Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd. Also, I enjoy older songs and musicians such as Michael Jackson, New Edition, Meat Loaf, Billy Joel and many others. Some of the songs that inspire me are songs from my childhood. When my mom would drive me to school back in the 1st grade, she would always play Method Man, Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, Nelly, and other songs from bands like Evanescence, The Killers and The All American Rejects. Also, when I’m driving in my car, most times I will listen to old Disney songs from my favorite movies such as Lion King, Bug’s Life and other Disney classic’s.
What’s the process behind working on a song like?
First thing you need before writing a song is a beat. For me, I’m always searching on youtube for beats that I can use. Most times it can get tricky to find a beat that you are looking for, so it takes patience and research. While I’m looking for different beats, I will write lyrics on my phone on the notes app. Whenever a lyric pops up in my mind, I’m always writing it down as soon as I can. If I do not have time to go on my phone, I will try to memorize the lyrics and keep it locked in my head, such as Jay-Z and Lil Wayne do.
Once I find a beat off youtube that suits my needs, I begin putting all the lyrics together as if I am building a puzzle, sometimes the process can take one day, one hour or up to a week. After constructing the song, I begin to practice and begin to sing the song before I go to the studio, that way I am prepared before I show up. The music engineers I’ve worked with appreciate that and encourage artists to practice what they say instead of going off the top while they are recording. After the studio session, I login on UnitedMasters and plan a date to submit my new song and distribute the product on streaming platforms. Once that is complete, I post the song on TikTok in hopes of someone enjoying what I’ve created.
Tell me about your upcoming music and what inspired you to create it!
My upcoming music is stories about my life and whatever I’m going through in hopes others can relate. What inspires me to keep going is my passion for the art, as well as the money. Everybody wants to be a success, but I don’t need the jewelry and designer clothes that most artists wear. If you really have money, you don’t need to show it off, but most times they just want to impress people, especially the ladies. To be able to take care of my family would be amazing, get my mother and father whatever they need and to take care of my Nonna and Pop pop would be a dream. However, every time I walk in the studio, I envision myself accomplishing all my goals and desires, traveling around the world to the next show and providing for my family members who deserve it.
Not everybody is justified in giving a hand out, but there are a handful of my cousins who I would love to help out. Most of them got it a lot worse than I do, and I’m always thinking about the pay out this music will offer to help my loved ones. But when I’m recording in the studio, I feel like I have super powers, I can feel my passion inside of me every time I’m on my way to record a song. In order to be happy in this life, you must do what you are passionate about, if you are not, you are slowly losing your joy in life, which happens a lot. So I try to take advantage of all my opportunities and take nothing for granted. I will be a success.
What are your plans for 2025?
To have record labels and A&R’s enjoy my music and potentially sign me. However, if 50 cent were to be a mentor of mine within the year, that would be the ultimate goal. To learn the business with the best in the game is the plan. Reading his book, Hustle Harder Hustle Smarter, I know not to get caught up in the hype, never outshine the mentor, surround myself with good people and learn from others’ mistakes.
Have any shoutouts?
Shoutout to the GROOVEHOUSESTUDIOS down on Kelly Drive in philly. Music engineer Don Groove is very underrated, he helped record the song Billie Eilish by Armani White. When I first got to the studio, I was introduced by another engineer named Beats, who is very humbled and dedicates his life to music. Whenever I need to record a song, I know I can always go down Kelly Drive and Don Groove will be there no matter what, whether its 12pm or 4am. Also, shoutout to Brian Long who was my first ever music engineer. Brian records music out of his house in Willow Grove, he reminds me of Chad Hugo from the music group Neptune’s. He mixes songs while still in school and deserves a lot of credit. We recorded the track Snippet together, which is my most streamed song to this day.
Ray Fox’s passion and authenticity shine through not only in his music but also in his thoughtful reflections about life, success, and giving back. With his eyes set firmly on connecting with a wider audience and securing mentorship from industry legends like 50 Cent, Ray remains grounded in gratitude and dedicated to honing his craft. As he continues on his path, one thing is clear: Ray Fox is not just chasing fame but striving to make a meaningful impact on the lives of those around him. Check out Ray on Spotify or wherever you listen to music.